Cats can’t eat lime. Not only is it harmful to cats, but it can damage or destroy the enamel in their teeth. If you notice your feline chewing on a piece of lime, contact your veterinarian.
So, can cats eat lime? Cats can’t eat lime because they often develop ulcers from eating citrus fruits.
The juices can cause the cats to vomit or bleed from the mouth. If you do find your cat eating a lime or citrus fruits, it’s recommended to take your cat to a veterinarian immediately for treatment.
Can Cats Eat Lime?
Limes are poisonous to cats, but it’s easy to see why they would taste good to a cat when eaten whole.
The rind contains compounds that are toxic to cats.
If your cat eats a lime or citrus fruit the juice could cause vomiting or bleeding from the mouth.
Fortunately, most cats dislike the scent of citrus, so you probably won’t have a problem getting.
Do Cats Like Lime?
Lime juice is acidic and can damage the enamel on cat’s teeth.
Citrus fruits are toxic and can cause stomach upset or dehydration.
They don’t even enjoy the fragrance of citrus, so getting them to eat a piece of lime would be nearly impossible.
However, all cats will eat pretty much anything at least once in their life, so there is a chance they will find it irresistible and be tempted to eat it.
I’d be surprised if a cat attempted eating the entire lime itself.
Take your cat to the vet immediately if your cat eats a piece of lime or citrus and vomits or has diarrhea or becomes lethargic.
Do Cats Hate Lime?
Yes, and cats hate lime and citrus juice because of its acidity and content of essential oils.
They despise the scent, which makes avoiding it fairly easy.
They know limes probably taste yucky, so no matter how much they may stare at you when you walk by a pile of them, they will probably remain untouched.
Why Are Limes Toxic to Cats?
Because limes are harmful to dogs (and possibly to people), most cats are not likely to eat them.
Limes contain two compounds: calcium oxalate and limonene.
Essential oils, notably limonene, which is mostly found in the flesh of a lime or lemon or other citrus fruits, are toxic to cats.
Limonene is a chemical that may be used to treat neurological problems and age-related macular degeneration in humans, however some evidence suggests that this compound may also cause cancer in cats.
It’s also a volatile substance, which means that it’s easily evaporated into the air of a room.
Psoralen is another chemical found in the flesh of citrus fruits.
Despite the fact that limonene and psoralen are poisonous to dogs, cats’ bodies do not metabolize these compounds as they usually digest foods that contain protein much easier and more efficiently than foods containing carbohydrates.
What Happen If a Cat Eats a Lime?
Citrus essential oils (especially limonene) can seriously damage cats’ kidneys.
It’s something that veterinarians call a nephrotoxin, meaning a substance that damages a cat’s kidneys.
That may be sufficient to cause your cat to become very ill or even die if he swallows the essential oil from lime peels or lemon.
Psoralens is the toxic substance found in limes.
These compounds are lethal to cats but not to dogs.
This is one of the reasons why these substances should not be placed in cat toys or on cat scratch posts.
Psoralen-containing medications make you more photosensitive because they cause the dermal cells in your tissues to turn over more quickly than usual.
If your cat eats limes, don’t wait until you can see obvious symptoms of a poisoning to call a vet.
There’s also the common misconception that this phrase could also apply to cats because they do, in fact get bored and depressed.
The acidity may be too intense for a cat’s digestive system to handle but a dog could tolerate it just fine.
It’ll probably make your kitty sick, get acidic in her stomach and may cause diarrhea and vomiting in shortly afterwards.
If your cat eats a lime, he’ll begin to vomit and foam at the mouth within 30 minutes to an hour after he eats the citrus.
Can Eating Lime Kill My Cat?
Yes, and cats can die from it.
Citrus fruits have limonin, volatile oil that cats can eat and absorb through their gastrointestinal tracts.
Limes, in particular, contain an oil called psoralen that can cause liver and kidney problems if a cat eats them.
The liver of a cat, unlike that of a dog, occurs as a single lobe rather than several lobes; it metabolizes toxins very quickly in an attempt to neutralize them.
As a consequence, cats can get very sick if psoralen gets into the bloodstream and the liver is unable to metabolize it before the concentration is too high.
It doesn’t take much exposure to toxic levels of psoralen to kill a cat.
Lime may make a cat vomit quickly, but if the cat continues to eat the citrus it may become sicker and eventually die from a variety of effects due to a poisoning from psoralen.
The rind contains essential oils and psoralens, which both can cause nausea and gastritis if ingested in high amounts by dogs or cats.
Drooling, weakness, shaking, low blood pressure, abdominal pain and vomiting are a few of the potential effects of ingesting limes.
Your cat may perish from kidney failure if the damage from the psoralen involves the kidneys.
Poisoning should be treated immediately by a veterinarian.
How Many Limes Can My Cat Eat?
No, and cats should not consume limes.
Cats are poisoned by the peel, juice or pulp of limes, lemon rinds and especially lemon seeds.
They are also unable to metabolize psoralen and citrus oils effectively and therefore suffer a buildup of toxins in their body systems.
However, since most cats avoid citrus peels and seeds, it is not usually a problem.
Also Read: Can Cats Eat Lemon Juice?
Conclusion
Lime may be beloved among people, but it is deadly to animals like cats and dogs.
Citrus fruit of any type is very poisonous to cats, and should never be fed to a cat or allowed in a cat’s reach.
Be cautious while using shampoos and cleaning solutions to avoid having your cat ingest any of it.
